1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a photographic camera.
2. Description of the related art
There is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,437 a photographic camera in which initial film loading is automatically performed after loading the camera with a film cartridge. According to the disclosure, the film cartridge is loaded into the cartridge chamber not by opening the entire back cover of the camera body but opening a lid formed in the bottom of the cartridge chamber itself. This camera has a light-intercepted slit between the cartridge chamber and the film exposing portion located adjacent the cartridge chamber in the camera. The film passes through the light-intercepted slit from the cartridge chamber into the film exposing portion. Therefore, even though the lid of the cartridge chamber is opened by mistake while the camera is loaded with the film, the parts of filmstrip in the cartridge and the film exposing portion are prevented from exposing to light.
According to the camera of the above construction, a part of the filmstrip between the film outlet of the cartridge and the light-intercepted slit is exposed in the cartridge chamber. The interior of the cartridge chamber is completely intercepted from light when the lid of the cartridge chamber is closed. But if the lid is opened by mistake while the film cartridge is loaded into the camera, the part of filmstrip between the film outlet and the slit is exposed to light. In order to prevent the lid from being erroneously opened, it is effective to provide the cartridge chamber with a transparent window for allowing the film cartridge loaded into the cartridge chamber to be visually recognized from the exterior of the camera body. However, if such a transparent window is employed in the cartridge chamber of the camera disclosed in the above publication, the filmstrip will be exposed to the light which will have leaked from the transparent window into the cartridge chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,547 discloses a construction in which a case for holding a film cartridge is pivotally supported between an open position outside the camera body for inserting the film cartridge into the case or ejecting it therefrom and an accommodation position in which the cartridge is loaded into the camera. According to the construction, there is provided on the bottom portion of the holding case a driving shaft which engages the film spool provided in the cartridge, thus transmitting the rotational force thereto. The driving shaft pivots together with the holding case. Therefore, it is necessary to provide the driving shaft with a mechanism for maintaining the connection between the driving shaft and the driving force transmitting system with the pivotal motion of the holding case, which prevents the manufacture of a compact camera.
According to a known camera, in order to properly hold a film cartridge such as a film patrone to a cartridge chamber, the cartridge is elastically clamped in the direction perpendicular to the spool provided in the cartridge. According to this construction, in inserting the cartridge into the cartridge chamber in the axial direction of the spool of the cartridge, a mechanism for clamping the cartridge may prevent the cartridge from being inserted into the cartridge chamber or ejected therefrom due to the fact that the cartridge entrance/exit for the cartridge chamber is not great. If the elastic force of the clamping mechanism is reduced to facilitate the insertion and ejection of the cartridge, the cartridge cannot be properly held to the cartridge chamber favorably.